Ah yes, the ticking time bomb. In this one hyperspecific scenario (startups with a limited runway|ticking nuclear bomb), this policy of (giving parental leave|not having access to torture) could prove to be bad because (the startup could fail|a nuclear bomb could destroy us all). Therefore, we should abandon (paid parental leave|our policy against torture) in the general case.
If the cost of carrying an employee -- not a cofounder! -- for three months (how much is that? 50K? 60K?) is going to kill the startup, you a) probably shouldn't have hired the person to begin with and b) don't have much of an startup to begin with.
It's continually amazing to me how, in a capital environment awash with cheap funds and outrageous valuations, this kind of cheapness pervades everyone's thought processes. Stop thinking like broke college students, and start thinking like the people of substantial affairs you claim to be.
If the cost of carrying an employee -- not a cofounder! -- for three months (how much is that? 50K? 60K?) is going to kill the startup, you a) probably shouldn't have hired the person to begin with and b) don't have much of an startup to begin with.
It's continually amazing to me how, in a capital environment awash with cheap funds and outrageous valuations, this kind of cheapness pervades everyone's thought processes. Stop thinking like broke college students, and start thinking like the people of substantial affairs you claim to be.